Jerry Meyer of Rivals.com is reporting that John Wall, the nation's No. 1 recruit, has set four official visits -- to Memphis (Sept. 12), Kansas (Sept. 19), Oregon (Oct. 3) and Kentucky (likely Oct. 10). Surely, a trip to Baylor will come at some point. But the hope Scott Drew had that his hiring of Dwon Clifton, Wall's AAU coach, would secure a quick commitment from the elite point guard seems to have faded away.

"Baylor's situation in hiring Dwon gives John a comfort level that doesn't exist anywhere else," Brian Clifton, Wall's other AAU coach and Dwon Clifton's brother told Meyer. "But there are some schools that John is interested in because of style of play or the incoming recruiting class. Those factors and others might have as much to do with where John goes to school as anything. ... If he wants to go to Baylor or if he wants to go to Memphis, he is going to do what he thinks is best for himself. Dwon did what was best for himself, and that does have some impact on John because his comfort level is the most important factor. But it doesn't obligate John to go to Baylor."

So that's the (somewhat) big news coming out of the Nike Global Challenge, a three-day event here in the shadows of Nike's headquarters featuring three teams from the United States competing against squads from Senegal, Serbia, Canada, Puerto Rico and Lithuania. After Wall got 11 points, five assists and six steals in 23 minutes to lead his team to an 86-72 win over Puerto Rico, he disclosed Hamilton's future college -- though Hamilton is yet to confirm, it's worth noting -- and then made time to discuss his own roller-coaster ride of a recruitment with great candor.

A 6-foot-3 point guard, Wall has been thrust into the spotlight recently for three reasons:

1. He's the No. 1 prospect in America.

2. Baylor just hired one of his AAU coaches, Dwon Clifton, to be its director of player development.

Those developments have put Wall in the position of having multiple fan bases -- and to a lesser degree the entire recruiting world -- hang on his every move. It's strange, he admitted, particularly considering that this time two years ago he was a mostly unknown commodity outside of his home state of North Carolina.

"It's been kinda hard," Wall said. "But when you get on the basketball court you just have to block it out."

As for his recruitment, Wall acknowledged Baylor's hiring of Dwon Clifton matters.

Big surprise, huh?

"It might give them a little edge because (Dwon has) helped me out a lot," Wall said. "He's my AAU coach. He talked me through a lot and worked me out and things like that. I feel like all the schools are the same. But (Dwon) gave (Baylor) a little bit of an edge."

So there you go, Baylor fans.

You have the edge.

But the bad news for the Bears is that Wall said he's not ready to commit and that he will take official visits.

"I think I'll visit Memphis, Oklahoma State, Baylor, Kansas and Kentucky," he said. "And I was talking to Jordan Hamilton and he asked me if I'd put (Texas) back into the mix. So I think I'm gonna give them a look, too. ... But I don't have a timetable (on a decision). ... It could be right before basketball season or during basketball season. It could be anytime."

It appears Baylor will land the No. 1 basketball recruit in the country.

D-One Sports coach Brian Clifton told CBSSports.com on Thursday that Baylor has hired his brother and assistant, Dwon Clifton, as its director of player development. On the surface, it's a meaningless transaction. But given that the Cliftons coach elite point guard John Wall, sources have indicated this transaction will lead to Baylor gaining a commitment from the Class of 2009's top prospect, and sooner rather than later.

"After receiving offers from several schools in the Big 12 and many other conferences, Dwon has decided to accept a coaching position at Baylor University," Brian Clifton said via text message. "Dwon will rejoin his former collegiate coach Matt Driscoll as a member of the Bears staff."

Driscoll was an assistant for Larry Shyatt at Clemson when Dwon Clifton played there earlier this decade, but that's barely crucial to the equation. The key to this development is Clifton's relationship with Wall, a quick and fast and dominant point guard who was spectacular in the Reebok Summer Championships last week in Las Vegas while leading D-One Sports to a runners-up finish.

Officially, Wall is still considering Kansas, Kentucky, Memphis, Oklahoma State, Oregon, North Carolina State, Southern California and Texas in addition to Baylor. But that list should be dwindled to one in the coming weeks as the Clifton hiring precipitates Wall's imminent commitment to the Bears

I called Brian Clifton Sunday night to talk to him about a few things, among them the rumor that he is a candidate to join Travis Ford's staff at Oklahoma State provided he can bring his heralded point guard, John Wall, along with him. Clifton denied being interested in any job, and the guy sounded believable. I think he was telling the truth. But the problem is that I had the rumor slightly wrong.

It's apparently not Brian Clifton who might join Ford's staff.

It's Dwon Clifton, Brian's younger brother who assists him with the D-One Sports summer program for which Wall plays.

Anyway, I sent Brian a text earlier to re-ask the same question a little differently, ask whether his brother was as uninterested in joining a college staff as he seems to be. At this moment, I still haven't heard back. But when I do, I'll let you know.